Joel Rudney

Professor
Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences

Address: 17-252 Moos Tower 515 Delaware St. SE Minneapolis, MN 55455 Phone: (612) 624-7199 Fax: (612) 626-2651 E-mail: jrudney@umn.edu

Education / Training:

Institution		Degree		Year		Field of Study
University of Cincinnati		BA		1974		Anthropology
University of Colorado, Boulder		MA		1975		Anthropology
University of Colorado, Boulder		PhD		1981		Anthropology
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry		MS		1985		Oral Biology
University of Minnesota School of Dentistry		Certificate		1985		Cariology

Research Areas / Interests:

NIH grant DE07233 In vivo Studies of Saliva Antimicrobial Proteins 8/85-3/04: Purpose: Identify persons with extreme differences in salivary function and determine whether they differ for clinical indices of oral disease, the quantity and composition of oral biofilm (with respect to oral streptococci and periodontal pathogens), and two-dimensional salivary protein profiles. Significance: Published results from this study have shown that extreme differences in salivary function affect caries prevalence, and the quantity and diversity of streptococci and periodontal pathogens in supragingival plaque. A recently completed quantitative proteomic analysis has identified two salivary proteins that may serve as biomarkers of those differences in clinical and microbial parameters. Future plans will focus firstly on validating the utility of the defined salivary proteins as risk markers, and secondly on developing translational applications that will allow dentists to test for differences in those proteins in a clinical setting. NIH grant DE14214 Extracrevicular Invasion by Periodontal Pathogens 8/01-7/06: Purpose: Characterize intracellular infections of mucosal cells from human subjects in terms of microbial composition, host response to invasion, bacterial transmission by shed cells, the role of subgingival infections in maintaining extracrevicular intracellular infections, and as a reservoir site that may be protected from periodontal treatment. Significance: Previous studies in this field have focused on single-species tissue culture models of bacterial invasion. Our results thus far have shown that bacterial invasion of mucosal cells is widespread in the human subjects. Moreover, we are the first to show that single epithelial cells typically contain multiple bacterial species. This suggests that current models may not adequately simulate bacterial invasion as it occurs in the mouth. This project is currently a primary focus of activity in my laboratory. We are actively developing a polymicrobial model of bacterial invasion. We also are developing techniques to allow us to perform microarray studies of host gene expression in invaded and uninvaded cells from tissue culture, and directly from the mouth. Clinical studies currently in progress will help us to determine whether periodontal therapy and orthodontic treatment will alter the pattern of bacterial exchange between mucosa, the gingival crevice, and tooth surfaces.

Honors & Awards:

Invited Speaker, 16th International Conference on Oral Biology, "Saliva in Health and Disease", Chantilly, VA April 9-12, 2000. An image from our recent article "Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Tannerella forsythensis are Components of a Polymicrobial Intracellular Flora within Human Buccal Cells" was selected for the January 2005 inaugural cover of the redesigned Journal of Dental Research.

Selected Publications:

Selected from over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals: Rudney, J.D., Ji, Z., Larson, C.J., Liljemark, W.F. and Hickey, K.L. Saliva protein binding to layers of oral streptococci in vitro and in vivo. J Dent Res 74:1280-1288, 1995. Rudney, J.D., Ji, Z., and Larson, C.J. Saliva swallowing frequency in humans can be predicted from estimates of salivary flow rate and the volume of saliva swallowed. Arch Oral Biol 40:507-512, 1995. Rudney, J.D. Does variability in salivary protein concentrations influence oral microbial ecology and oral health? Crit Rev Oral Biol Med 6:343-367, 1995. Rudney, J.D., Ji, Z. and Larson, C.J. Saliva protein binding to streptococcal layers placed at different oral sites in 48 persons. J Dent Res 75:1789-1797, 1996. Tran, S.D. and Rudney, J.D. Multiplex PCR using conserved and species-specific 16S rDNA primers for simultaneous detection of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis. J Clin Microbiol 34:2674-2678, 1996. Rudney, J.D. and Larson, C.J. Identification of oral mitis group streptococci by arbitrarily-primed polymerase chain reaction. Oral Microbiol Immunol 14:33-42, 1999. Rudney, J.D., Hickey, K.L. and Ji, Z. Cumulative correlations of lysozyme, lactoferrin, peroxidase, S-IgA, amylase and total protein concentrations with adherence of oral viridans streptococci to microplates coated with human saliva. J Dent Res 78:759-768, 1999. Tran, S. D. and Rudney, J.D. Improved multiplex PCR using conserved and species-specific 16s rRNA gene primers for simultaneous detection of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Bacteroides forsythus, and Porphyromonas gingivalis. J Clin Microbiol 37: 3504-3508, 1999. Rudney, J.D. and Strait, C.A. Effects of Streptococcus crista and human saliva on the viability of Fusobacterium nucleatum ATCC 10953. Arch Oral Biol 45: 667-674, 2000. Rudney, J. D. Saliva and dental plaque. Adv Dent Res 14:29-39, 2000. Tran, S. D., Rudney, J.D., Sparks, B. S. and Hodges, J. S. Persistent presence of Bacteroides forsythus as a risk factor for clinical attachment level loss in a prospective longitudinal study of a population with low prevalence and severity of adult periodontitis. J Periodontol 72:1-10, 2001. Rudney, J.D., Chen R. and Sedgewick, G.J. Intracellular Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis in buccal epithelial cells collected from human subjects. Infect Immun 69:2700-2707, 2001. Rudney, J.D. and Staikov, R.K. Simultaneous measurement of the viability, aggregation, and live and dead adherence of Streptococcus crista, Streptococcus mutans, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in human saliva, in relation to indices of caries, dental plaque, and periodontal disease. Arch Oral Biol 47: 347-359, 2002. Rudney, J.D., Pan, Y and Chen R. Streptococcal diversity in oral biofilms with respect to salivary functions. Arch Oral Biol 48: 475-493, 2003. Rudney, J.D., Chen R. and Pan, Y. Endpoint quantitative PCR assays for Bacteroides forsythus, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. J Periodont Res 38: 465-470, 2003. Rudney, J.D. and Chen R. Human salivary function in relation to the prevalence of Tannerella forsythensis and other periodontal pathogens in early supragingival biofilm. Arch Oral Biol 49: 523-527, 2004. Rudney, J.D., Chen R. and Sedgewick, G.J. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Tannerella forsythensis are Components of a Polymicrobial Intracellular Flora within Human Buccal Cells. J Dent Res 84: 59-63, 2005.

Brief Biographical Data: